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The Real Danny Valencia: via Twins Geek September 01, 2010 at 11:35 PM; So for two years, I’ve questioned Seth Stohs about his Valenciatic Crush. For two years I argued that he was overhyped. And then on Tuesday night I found myself tweeting this during a crucial at-bat:Is it wrong to be thrilled Valencia is up in this position? If it is, I don't wanna be right.Again, that was TUESDAY night, not last night. And Valencia rewarded my faith with a clutch hit, just like h
Manny: via Twins Geek August 30, 2010 at 10:53 PM; There aren't too many one-name guys in sports, and Manny deserves that kind of cred. You know the drill - he can be scary, scary good, if only he can be motivated. You know, like in a pennant race. Or in a contract year. Or hitting in a tiny little ballpark that can inflate his numbers.Uh, oh.So it's alright to be a bit concerned as Twins fans. When he joined the Dodgers two years ago with similar
For Elise: via Twins Geek August 30, 2010 at 08:29 AM; This was first published in 2002 on the first day of kindergarten. Today, Elise starts 8th grade and Riggs starts 5th grade. Good luck guys. I'm so proud of you both, and deeply in love.------------------------------He didn't feel the gush that everyone said he would feel the first time he held her in his arms. He frowned. "I've never been especially good about feeling emotions."There was excite
Gratis Flores: via Twins Geek August 26, 2010 at 12:17 AM; Twins claim LHP Randy Flores off waivers from the Colorado Rockies What's not to like about gratis flores? They brighten up a space, freshen things up, and might even help you get lucky. Same with Randy Flores. He brightens up the bullpen, could keep left-handed batters from stinking up the joint, and the Twins might even get lucky.That springtime hope is especially strong when you look at his num
Looking for a Bump?: via Twins Geek August 23, 2010 at 09:59 PM; This year, the Twins payroll increased almost 50% to $95 million. Next year, they’ll likely increase payroll again, and will need to given the payroll challenges they face. But how much will it go up? Can the Twins (and their fans) expect significant increases in revenues in the second and third years of a new ballpark? Is there any historical precedence for that?There is, but it’s far from univer
Surprise Hero: via Twins Geek August 23, 2010 at 07:53 AM; We talk a lot about “doing the little things”. So how about a statistic that recognizes the little contributions? I’ve talked a lot about WPA or Win Probability Added before in this space. The short explanation for WPA is that it measures how much a player increases or decreases the chances of his team winning a game. What I like about it is that it mirrors the value that hard-core fans see, espec
Off -Day Notes: via Twins Geek August 16, 2010 at 11:35 PM; Let's see how quickly I can crank out a few random observations....Thome's Early AggressionYou can get a pretty good idea of how Jim Thome is going to do in an at-bat based on how many strikes he has. If he isn't making contact early, he's unlikely to do so later in that at-bat.For instance, once Thome has had two strikes on him, he's in trouble. With a 0-2 count, he has yet to get a hit this year
Courage: via Twins Geek August 15, 2010 at 11:41 PM; Ron Gardenhire was absolutely right.And I'm writing this as the enemy. I'm a guy that examined the studies that "proved" pitch count lead to injuries, wrote about it in 3 parts, and concluded that pitch counts are BS. I'm surprised there is even any debate about this. I assume that most of the venom is coming from people who dislike Gardenhire as a manager, and looking for some fuel for the fir
Magic (Part 18): via Twins Geek August 12, 2010 at 11:05 PM; "Life's like a movie, write your own ending."- The Magic Store from The Muppet Movie---------------------It started with a decision in the spring of 1990. He asked her if their first date should be an afternoon at the Art Institute or a double-header at Wrigley Field."How is that even a call?" she replied.The sun gleamed, the grass glowed underneath the ballplayers and the magical afternoon
Bitter Aftertaste: via Twins Geek August 11, 2010 at 10:59 PM; Blech.The Twins rolled into Chicago with a favorable pitching matchup in two of the three games, with last night’s being the one they would most likely lose. Sure enough, they did. It isn’t going to be much fun to talk about, but maybe spitting about it for a few paragraphs will help get its taste out of my mouth.We can start with the lineup, which include Jason Repko. I understand wanting to keep
Satisfaction: via Twins Geek August 08, 2010 at 08:59 PM; Yesterday's Twins 5-4 win over the Indians ended up being one of the more satisfying of the year. It had all the ingredients: a starting pitcher who ended up going deep, clutch hitting and a lock down bullpen. And the results - pulling within a half-game of the White Sox just prior to a midweek series with them, was icing on the cake.The heroes are pretty obvious. Orlando Hudson had the biggest hi
A Few Trade Deadline Notes: via Twins Geek August 01, 2010 at 11:11 PM; The trade deadline passed on Saturday, and there were some developments for other teams that Twins fans might find interesting….The Chicago White SoxThe Capps-Ramos deal that the Twins made had an unintended positive impact: it looks like it helped thwart the White Sox attempts to trade for Washington Nationals’ slugger Adam Dunn. And it also looks like it made the White Sox offseason a little tou
8 Things I HATE About the Capps-Ramos Trade: via Twins Geek July 30, 2010 at 12:23 AM; Intro, shmintro. I’m tired, and now I feel sick. Let’s count the eight little balls of hate I’ll be counting as I try to fall asleep tonight.8. I hate that the Twins apparently didn’t value Wilson Ramos.And I say that as a guy who argued that most of us are overvaluing Ramos’ trade value just a couple of weeks ago. But he was worth a lot more than this.I get it – Ramos is expendable because Joe Ma
Reality Checking the Geek Chorus: via Twins Geek July 28, 2010 at 11:41 PM; Really? 74 comments? I get 74 comments when I try to suggest that the 3-year, $41 million contract tied to Dan Haren’s 4.6ish ERA isn’t a bargain? That’s the cross the Geek Chorus wants to carry?Hey, I’m game. The Geek Chorus, which is what I'm now calling the comments section, is here to provide a counterpoint – and some comic relief. If you want to argue that we as fans are currently entitled to
Haren Not So Reasonable: via Twins Geek July 25, 2010 at 10:11 PM; More and more when I talk to Twins fans about the trade deadline, I envision the conversation I’ll have with my kids when they get their first credit card. Ah, the freedom! Suddenly you can get those things that were always out of reach. And you’re making more money than you ever did before. Why not go get a Dan Haren? Damn it, you deserve it!And I’m going to tell them that they actually deserve q
From a Loss - Options: via Twins Geek July 20, 2010 at 12:47 AM; So, what do you take from that game exactly?Bad starting pitching. Bad relief pitching. Bad clutch hitting. Bad defense. An ugly crowd. A loss to a bad team that was starting a bad pitcher. And it all happened the day after we thought the season had turned around. So where does one start?In cases like these, I think it's important to prioritize, don't you? Otherwise we're likely going to lose our
Gettin 'Er Duen: via Twins Geek July 15, 2010 at 08:52 AM; What do the Twins need this second half? They need a bunch more “Brian Duensings.” This week I got to participate in the Sports on Demand web show on Fox 9 (which you can see here). On of the midseason awards we presented was the Twins Most Valuable Player, which belonged to Justin Morneau, who was chosen unanimously. This is not a surprise. But second place, at least on my ballot, should sur
Cliff Lee Fallout: Now What?: via Twins Geek July 12, 2010 at 08:59 PM; So the Twins missed out on Cliff Lee. If they want to address their pitching issues, there is a list of 40 starting pitchers in the 2010 Trade Deadline Primer (available here), 38 of whom are not Twins. Let's go through some of the bigger names, and to play along, we'll coax the Geek Chorus out of retirement....Roy Oswalt -This is the name everyone likes to mention, which is a shame. Because this
Cliff Lee Fallout: So What Happened? And Now What?: via Twins Geek July 11, 2010 at 11:11 PM; What Happened?When we produced the first draft of the 2010 Trade Deadline Primer (now available) last week, here was the introductory paragraph (written by Scott Lucas of The Newberg Report) for the Texas Rangers:"The Rangers have marketed their 2010 club with the slogan 'It’s Time,' asserting that they won’t settle for mere prospect development and a polite stab at contention. Despite financial c
Cliff Lee to Yankees? How? Why?: via Twins Geek July 09, 2010 at 08:05 AM; Joel Sherman reported in the NY Post today that the Yankees are on the verge of acquiring Cliff Lee. He followed up that post with more information on his blog. Both are worth a read, because there are all kinds of things that don't make sense...1. Why would the Yankees offer up catching prospect Jesus Montero for Lee? Their starting rotation has been one of their strengths this year. Sherman clai